Rail Talk Podcast

This week on Rail Talk! Breeders’ Cup pre-entries are out, and Joe Bianca and Jon Green are here to guide you through the 200+ horses entered for a spectacular 42nd running of the World Championships at Del Mar.That list includes over 50 international entries, and a star-studded lineup for this year’s Classic, which stacks up with any renewal of the $7-million centerpiece. Joe and Jon react to it all, plus look forward to some of the ‘home team’ entries highlighted by Nitrogen in the Distaff.The boys also discuss another decline in the foal crop numbers, Santa Anita experimenting with races written by an Equibase rating system, Monmouth Park not paying its purse money yet, associate producer Julia Agresta’s fabulous wedding and more!Don’t miss any Rail Talk content—be sure to join our ever-growing family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your pods! Thank you to our brilliant lineup of sponsors Fasig-Tipton, Taylor Made, The Green Group, Epic Insurance and Arion Pedigrees for their support!

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green start to look forward to the Breeders’ Cup and share the perspectives of readying participants for the World Championships at Del Mar. That leads into a deeper conversation filled with gratitude about the ups and downs of competing to win races and being around special horses. They also bestow a new Rail Talk Citation after a historic win at Keeneland and look forward to their friend and star associate producer Julia Agresta’s wedding this Sunday!Joe and Jon then welcome Damon Thayer to give the industry a briefing on where the fight against decoupling in Florida stands. Thayer discusses the intense lobbying/fundraising effort necessary to stave off the demise of Gulfstream Park, how crucial Florida is to the racing and breeding ecosystem, potential alternative racing sites and much more.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content, as we approach two major viewership/subscriber milestones, be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods! Huge thanks to our sponsors Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group, Taylor Made and Epic Insurance for their support.

This week on Rail Talk! The last round of major Breeders’ Cup preps is in the books, and Joe Bianca and Jon Green react to all of it: Nitrogen’s narrow second in the Spinster, a fitting win for Rhetorical in Keeneland’s Turf Mile, Ted Noffey’s continued dominance in the Breeders’ Futurity, Intricate Spirit punching his ticket to Del Mar for West Point and much more.The boys are then joined by legendary trainer Graham Motion for an illuminating discussion on HISA, Paco Lopez, the importance of speaking out in a Trump-heavy industry and much more. Joe and Jon also discuss the economic indicators through three quarters of 2025—what does it mean that total handle is down but handle per race day is up?Don’t miss any Rail Talk content, join our ever-growing family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Huge thanks to our all-star lineup of sponsors Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group, Taylor Made and Epic Insurance for their support!

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green give their takes on the major controversy surrounding jockey Paco Lopez’s six-month suspension by HISA: Does the punishment fit the crime? What effect should Paco’s extensive prior record of being unable to follow the rules have? What’s the significance of his fellow riders standing so uniformly behind him?The boys also react to the first of two huge Breeders’ Cup weekends and look forward to the second at Aqueduct and Keeneland, which provides two of the best days of racing in the sport. There’s also a ton of exciting action on tap for the home teams, with Ewing, Curtain Call and Nitrogen headlining a jam-packed weekend of high-profile runners trying to punch their BC tickets for West Point and DJ Stable.Don’t miss any Rail talk content! Be sure to join our ever-growing family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. A million thanks to our sponsors Fasig-Tipton, Taylor Made, The Green Group and Epic Insurance for their support.

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green sit down with HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus to answer horsemen’s questions about the regulator’s proposed $78 million budget for 2026. How much is going to drug testing? What are some ways we can be more efficient going forward? And what is the intrinsic value of racing on a more level playing field compared to the cheater-infested landscape we had pre-HISA?The boys then react to Baeza getting his well-deserved Grade I in the Pennsylvania Derby and look ahead to a phenomenal Breeders’ Cup Classic. Joe and Jon also discuss the New York stewards’ latest colossally infuriating screwup over the weekend that put bettors in a terrible spot, and Jim ‘Mattress Mack’ McIngvale leaving the game.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content—be sure to join our ever-growing family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods! Thanks to our sponsors Fasig-Tipton, Taylor Made, The Green Group and Epic Insurance for their support.

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green are back after a week away grinding for their day jobs and react to the seemingly nonstop fireworks at the Keeneland September sale. The market is, like, so hot right now, and Joe and Jon break down what the staggering numbers mean for the industry, the jaw-dropping success of Flightline’s first crop in the sales ring, the latest West Point-DJ Stable collaboration and much more.The boys then look forward to an excellent card Saturday at Parx just outside of Philadelphia, where the championship race heats up in the Grade I Pennsylvania Derby and Grade I Cotillion Stakes, and discuss concerns from horsemen’s groups about HISA’s proposed $78 million budget. They also touch on disappointing handle and field size numbers from the recently-completed meet at Monmouth and the continued absurdity of the overlapping mid-Atlantic racing calendar.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content, be sure to join our ever-growing family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Mega shoutout to our sponsors Fasig-Tipton, Taylor Made, The Green Group and Epic Insurance for their support.

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green react to a Labor Day weekend full of controversy and superstar performances as we enter the home stretch of the championship hunt.First, the boys dissect the scary bumping incident in the roughly-run Jockey Club Gold Cup, which caused Irad Ortiz, Jr. to fall off Mindframe. Thankfully, disaster was averted, but how can we avoid situations like this to begin with? Who was at fault? And is it time to eliminate the ‘rabbit’ strategy from the game?Then, Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Junior Alvarado stops by for a fantastic interview, where he discusses what makes Sovereignty so special, the resilience necessary to bounce back from so many injuries, his observer’s take from the JCGC mess and much more. Joe and Jon also react to some of the weekend’s most impressive efforts, highlighted by Fierceness in the Pacific Classic and Ted Noffey in the Hopeful.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content, be sure to join our ever-growing family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods! Thanks as always to our sponsors Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group, Taylor Made and Epic Insurance Brokers for their support.

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green react to a star-studded Travers Day at Saratoga, headlined by Sovereignty‘s dazzling 10-length romp in the ‘Midsummer Derby’.Where does he rank in the pecking order of elite 21st century 3-year-olds? And what does it say about this year’s sophomore class that Journalism could still potentially overtake him in the championship hunt if he beats elders in the Pacific Classic this Saturday?The boys also discuss the latest Grade I victories from superstars Thorpedo Anna and Book’em Danno, and where the two go from here, before giving their takes on the swift one-year suspension of jockey Albin Jimenez at Belterra, HISA’s Q2 safety metrics and the data surrounding voided claim rules.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content, be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Huge shoutout to our sponsors Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group, Epic Insurance and Taylor Made for their support.

The self-proclaimed commissioner of racing, Mike Repole faces off with Ray Paulick of the Paulick Report after a social media tiff. They are joined by the president of the National Thoroughbred Alliance (NTA), Pat Cummings. Repole founded the NTA to tackle horse racing's most existential problems. Repole, Paulick and Cummings discuss The Jockey Club, thoroughbred aftercare, HISA and many more hot button topics. Repole donated $100,000 to thoroughbred aftercare ($50,000 to Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and $50,000 to New Vocations) to engage Paulick in this substantive, sometimes volatile, conversation.

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green react to a seismic win for DJ Stable’s Nitrogen in the Alabama, as the superstar filly proves she can handle dirt as well as turf. Jon reflects on what the homebred’s victory means for his family’s program, Mark Casse’s stable and their sophomore filly’s chances of a year-end championship.Speaking of stars, elite racing broadcaster Laffit Pincay, Jr. then stops by for a fun chat with the boys about what it takes to put on a 5+ hour show every day from Saratoga, his early days in journalism and what he thinks racing needs to fix most.The boys also look forward to the meet centerpiece Travers card this Saturday while lamenting only five horses entering the Midsummer Derby, try to figure out what’s going on with the epidemic of voided claims this meet and bestow two new Rail Talk Citations on either coast.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content, be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Thank you to our outstanding lineup of sponsors Fasig-Tipton, Taylor Made, The Green Group and Epic Insurance for making this all possible.

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green are back in their home studios and kick off their second hundred episodes with plenty to discuss, chief of which was the embarrassing gate misplacement in Saturday’s finale at Saratoga. How does this keep happening? What steps will be taken to ensure it never happens again?The boys also look forward to the 1 1/4-mile (we hope) Alabama, which features DJ Stable’s own superstar filly Nitrogen. That leads into an announcement from Jon about DJ reducing its stock this fall, plus Joe and Jon unveil two new Rail Talk Citations, a world-record setting Epic Performance of the week and much more.If you haven’t yet, be sure to join the Rail Talk family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Thanks as always to our superstar sponsors Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group, Taylor Made and Epic Insurance Brokers for their support.

This week on Rail Talk, it’s Episode 100, on scene from the center of the racing world, Fasig-Tipton at Saratoga!Joe Bianca and Jon Green take the set and the sales grounds by storm with an array of highly influential guests, starting with Taylor Made president Mark Taylor, who was followed by Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning and director of client relations Anna Seitz to talk all about the record-breaking select yearling sale.DJ Stable founder Len Green then stops by to tell the story of how his two-man team is able to compete at the highest levels of the game, and last but not least, Mike Repole sits down with the boys in advance of his meeting with The Jockey Club where things got.. interesting.Joe and Jon also react to Sierra Leone capturing the Whitney, Ewing’s huge win over Obliteration in the Saratoga Special, Joe’s weekend at Del Mar and more.We are so proud and grateful to have reached the 100-episode milestone. We couldn’t have done it without our outstanding and dedicated production team, our all-star lineup of sponsors—The Green Group, Fasig-Tipton, Taylor Made, Epic Insurance and Arion Pedigrees—or our phenomenal base of viewers and listeners. Thank you all for every ounce of support, it truly means the world to us. And if you haven’t officially joined the RT family, please be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Here’s to the next 100 being even more fun than the first!

TOBA Breakaway Rail Talk | August Member of the Month: Steve Duncker Presented by Rail Talk in partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA)This month on Breakaway Rail Talk, we sit down with Steve Duncker, TOBA’s August Member of the Month—a lifelong racing enthusiast, former NYRA chairman, and a passionate advocate for ownership partnerships in the Thoroughbred industry.Steve shares how a teenage driveway-sealing business turned into his first racehorse investment, leading to a long and impactful career in racing. From owning a piece of champion Bates Motel to recent success with graded stakes winner Deterministic, Steve’s journey reflects the heart of TOBA’s mission.He also reflects on his decades-long friendship with the late Christophe Clement, and what it meant to see Christophe’s son Miguel earn his first Grade 1 victory in the Manhattan Stakes.This episode is a celebration of legacy, community, and the joy of owning horses with friends.

This week on Rail Talk! We’re knocking on the door of our milestone 100th episode by digging fully into the madness of late odds drops caused by computer-assisted wagering groups, which reached its breaking point over the weekend at Del Mar.A long-time frustration for regular horseplayers, CAW action cut several winners’ odds by more than half at the track on Saturday, and track officials were forced to respond to public outcry. Joe and Jon break it all down, then welcome National Thoroughbred Alliance Executive Director Pat Cummings, the foremost authority on this problem who’s written eloquently about it for years, to discuss every angle of this ongoing injustice and what can be done to level the playing field for bettors.The boys then react to Sovereignty ruling again in the Jim Dandy, preview a phenomenal Whitney Day card and look forward to next week’s 100th episode, which will be on site from Fasig-Tipton in Saratoga!As we come upon 100 episodes, we want to thank everyone who’s helped us get to this point, from our outstanding crew and our brilliant viewers/listeners to our all-star cast of sponsors—Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group, Taylor Made and Epic Insurance! If you haven’t yet, join the tens of thousands who have subscribed to the show by smashing that button on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods!

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca is joined by guest co-host and Gulfstream Park TV analyst Samantha Perry as the 3-year-old class turns for home in the championship hunt. Joe and Sam react to another thrilling Grade I victory by Journalism in the Haskell and debate whether or not he should come back East once more for the Travers or stay home and take on elders in the Pacific Classic. They then touch on the phenomenal attendance/handle numbers at Monmouth and what the New Jersey staple is doing that could be a model for other tracks before looking forward to a tantalizing renewal of the Jim Dandy at Saratoga. Plus, there’s a bee in Joe’s bonnet about the summer stakes schedule and Del Mar’s late odds drop continue to madden regular horseplayers.NY Racetrack Chaplaincy executive director Rev. Humberto Chavez also joins the show to discuss the popular upcoming Saratoga brunch fundraiser, the ever-expanding programs of the Chaplaincy and the depth of their impact in the backstretch community.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content—join our family as we approach 100 episodes! If you haven’t yet, please hit that subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Huge shoutout to the sponsors Epic Insurance Brokers. Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group, Taylor Made and Arion Pedigrees for their support!

This week on Rail Talk! It’s Haskell Week, so Joe Bianca and Jon Green shine their spotlight on beloved Monmouth Park, where the signature $1 million Grade I for 3-year-olds will be contested for the 58th time. Will Journalism prove too classy for his rivals, or is there an upstart ready to ascend to the upper echelon of the competitive sophomore division?Joe and Jon also welcome Monmouth general manager John Heims for a lively and wide-ranging discussion about the future of the jewel of the Jersey Shore, how they get so many fans to come to the races in an era of shrinking on-track attendance, how much hope there is for adding casino gaming revenue and much more. The boys then touch on the two-year suspensions handed down to veterinarian Dr. Michael Galvin and trainer Phil Serpe, and the consternation surrounding NYRA taking so many races off the turf at Saratoga.Join the ever-growing Rail Talk family as we close in on our milestone 100th episode! Be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Lots of love to our sponsors Fasig-Tipton, The Green Group, Taylor Made, Arion Pedigrees and Epic Insurance Brokers for all of their support.

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green react to a monster holiday weekend of racing at Saratoga and celebration for the team downstate. An array of exciting stakes races boosted handle at the Spa above $83 million for the four-day festival, a 121% increase over last year at Aqueduct. Plus, Ewing dazzles in his debut, earning the first-ever Rail Talk Citation, Jon celebrates his 55 1/2 birthday at the Subway Series, and Julia Agresta takes the stage at her engagement party!The boys also discuss the implications of Fasig-Tipton moving to an untimed breeze show for next year’s Midlantic sale, and welcome Black Dog Bloodstock’s Lauren Carlisle to explain what changes she’d like to see in the sales world and what stood out to her about Ewing and Dazzle d’Oro while she was scouting them.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content—as we approach 4,000,000 total views, be sure to join our ever-growing family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Huge thanks to the sponsors Taylor Made, The Green Group, Fasig-Tipton, Epic Insurance and Arion Pedigrees for being the wind beneath our wings!

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green fire up the take cannon and react to a star-laden Stephen Foster day at Churchill. Where does Mindframe rank in the older horse division coming off of consecutive Grade I wins? Is Thorpedo Anna back, or did she just beat up on weak competition in the Fleur de Lis?The boys then welcome Morplay Racing and Rich Music founder Rich Mendez to talk all about his passion for racing, what he learned from the music business that’s helping him navigate our industry, how he unearths musical talent and more. Plus Joe and Jon analyze the Supreme Court ruling sending HISA’s constitutionality debate back to the lower courts.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content—join our ever-growing family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Mega shoutout to the sponsors Epic Insurance, The Green Group, Taylor Made, Fasig-Tipton and Arion Pedigrees for seeing and supporting our vision.

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green are back after a week away to catch up on racing’s biggest stories. First, they appreciate and honor the outstanding career of D. Wayne Lukas, whose Hall of Fame career has come to its end after nearly five decades of groundbreaking success and influence.Joe and Jon then react to the ICE raid of Delta Downs, which resulted in over 80 arrests of backstretch workers, the vast majority of which had no criminal record. Is this a sign of things to come, which would undoubtedly doom racing and leave it without a workforce, and what can be done to help racetracks and horsemen protect their employees?Immigration experts Will Velie and Rebecca Shi then join the show to answer those questions and more, plus Joe and Jon look forward to a stellar Stephen Foster Day card at Churchill.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content—join the ever-growing family by subscribing to the show on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Huge thank you to the sponsors Fasig-Tipton, Taylor Made, The Green Group, Epic Insurance and Arion Pedigrees for supporting our vision and independence.

This week on Rail Talk! Joe Bianca and Jon Green wrap up a tremendous Triple Crown season with their reactions to the scintillating Belmont at Saratoga, as Sovereignty and Journalism put on a show at the Spa. Just how good are these two 3-year-olds historically, and what has been their impact beyond the walls of the racing industry this spring?The boys also analyze the star-studded undercard races, featuring breakout performances by Nitrogen, Raging Torrent, Deterministic, Ways and Means and more, and Joe gives his reviews of the entire racing festival after spending the week in Saratoga. Then, Mark Casse, coming off an incredible weekend of stakes success, joins the show to discuss all the monsters in his shedrow, his training philosophy and more.Don’t miss any Rail Talk content, be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your pods. Thanks to the sponsors Epic Insurance Brokers, The Green Group, Taylor Made and Fasig-Tipton for all of their support!